We live in a moment when it is hard to have faith in the power of an individual, unless that individual has money, or celebrity, or both. The New York Times Magazine reports that it’s so hard for citizen groups to bend the ears of federal politicians they sometimes enlist the help of the glamorous—Nicole Kidman, Natalie Portman, George Clooney—just so they can get a meeting. Ordinary Americans have rarely felt more powerless.

But thousands of people all over the United States are responding to crises at every level—by organizing and innovating at Occupy sites; in Washington, D.C., state capitols, and city halls; health clinics, schools, and neighborhoods. This issue is dedicated to the 99 percent and to people who aren’t looking for leadership from those with entrenched wealth and influence. We’re marking our 15th anniversary by turning our attention to 15 individuals who are creating solutions and movements that answer the economic, environmental, and political challenges our country faces. We have named them the YES! Breakthrough 15—a group of people who are shattering our sense of powerlessness.

In this issue, you will read stories of individuals tackling climate change, building renewable energy and creating jobs in some of the poorest communities in the country, setting up real universal health care, pushing money out of politics, and creating art and activism that revive neighborhoods broken by economic hardship. We offer you their stories as an invitation—to break through cynicism and prove that ordinary people have real power.

We the People vs. Wall Street
We started planning an issue on corporate power last summer. At the time, many were coming to see that solutions to nearly every concern—from climate change to mass foreclosures, from the health care crisis to joblessness—are stymied by the outsized power of corporations. But what could ordinary people do when faced with gigantic corporations and government officials who all too often act at their behest?

The YES! Magazine editors are planning a new issue focused on practical ways to counter the power of corporations and Wall Street. Can you help?LEARN MORE…
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